


Homecoming

by SamJoinedtheReconCorps



Series: Avengers: Redemption [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Feelings, Fluff, M/M, Minor Angst, Post-Canon Fix-It, Post-Endgame, Reunions, more tags to come, we're finally getting some closure gang
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:09:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23773624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamJoinedtheReconCorps/pseuds/SamJoinedtheReconCorps
Summary: They answered the call, they passed the trials, and now, they're going home, to their friends and their families. Now, they get a sweet respite from it all. It's what they deserve.Or, part III, the final part, of my attempt at fixing the heartbreaking shitshow that was Endgame. The Fix-It Fic that I need to heal my broken soul.
Relationships: Gamora/Peter Quill, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Scott Lang/Hope Van Dyne
Series: Avengers: Redemption [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1368181
Comments: 5
Kudos: 17





	1. Journey Home

**Author's Note:**

> heyyyyy, so, firstly, I'm SUPER sorry about how long its taken me to write this. Life got hectic with the holidays and school, then life got even MORE hectic with the pandemic and the quarantine, so, here we are, and here I am, and I really, really hope you guys like it!! This is going to be a super fluffy epilogue-style fic, filled with reunions and tying up some loose ends that I have noted down.
> 
> and yes, omfg, I know, but I LITERALLY couldn't think of anything else, like the title came out of nowhere and I was like but that's Spiderman!!! and my brain was like they're coming home aren't they?? It's homecoming bitch, and so I stuck with it
> 
> I hope you guys like the first chapter!!! And I hope you and your loved ones are all safe and sound in these crazy times

It would take about a week to get back home, just as it had taken them all about a week to get to Vormir. They had briefly floated around the idea that maybe Stephen could create a portal for both ships to go back to Earth, or that Thor could open up a Bifrost path and take them home too, but the ideas were scrapped quickly. They had just gotten Tony, Natasha, and Gamora back. They weren’t going to risk them by taking a shortcut home trip.

The first two days of travel had found them all still revelling in their victory - revelling in having their loved ones back.

Gamora was practically inseparable from both Nebula and Quill, always being with one or the other no matter what. Quill was always reaching over to her, holding her hand for a quick squeeze and sneaking a kiss - just anything to remind himself that she was really, physically there. Rocket and Groot had taken over piloting the  _ Milano _ so that Quill would have more time to just be with Gamora, and while Quill would have usually just shrugged Rocket’s help off, he more than readily agreed and had even pulled him in for a quick hug when he’d offered, one that Rocket had awkwardly returned before smacking him to let him down. And while Drax and Mantis were more than ecstatic to have Gamora back, they knew that the two people that had mourned her the most had been Quill and Nebula, and so they kept their presence to the periphery, joining in when the group was all together but allowing Gamora and Quill and Gamora and her sister privacy whenever they had moments together.

Which brought Mantis and Drax into Thor, Loki, and Bruce’s company more often than not. The princes of Asgard were glad - rather secretly, in Loki’s case - to have been able to help bring their friends back, but it was clear that Bruce was the most affected by their return. When Natasha had said she would be returning to Earth on the  _ Milano _ , Bruce hadn’t hesitated to welcome her aboard and show her around their rudimentary sleeping quarters. Hope and Scott, when approached by Clint and Sam, had readily switched places with the pair, letting them head home in the  _ Milano _ while they boarded the  _ Talon Fighter _ . It made for a rather similar sight as Gamora, but with Clint and Bruce sticking by Natasha with Sam not too far away.

On the  _ Talon Fighter _ , Tony was almost always with Peter, with Rhodey, Steve, and Stephen being the three that joined them the most frequently - although it was hardly ever Steve and Stephen together. The two were much more cordial with each other although still guarded. It was something Tony was quick to point out and tease them about whenever he got the chance.

Fury, loathe of showing any kind of emotion, was as warm as he’d ever been, keeping the communication channel between both ships open with T’Challa and Shuri’s help in order to keep in touch with the  _ Milano _ and their crew at all times. Okoye, Maria and Wanda were usually with them, although Wanda had found herself around Peter and Shuri more and more often, finding them a little closer to her age and thus getting along with them and all of their shenanigans rather well. It suited her, seeing her smiling again, looking more her age than she ever had since any of the Avengers could remember.

While Bucky seemed more than content to keep to himself - and Steve - Steve and Shuri and even Wanda were all inviting and welcoming him to join the others more, and while he was the most hesitant to be around Tony, when Tony had given him a small but warm smile, that was all Bucky needed to be more at ease with everyone.

Things were good on the ships, with everyone in high spirits and laughter ringing like wind chimes and appreciative hugs and smiles all around as everyone finally settled into the relief of everything being over, settling into the relief of having their friends back.

* * *

Although they weren’t under any specific day or night cycles that would influence their sleep patterns, there were certain times when more people headed off to rest, leaving only a handful of people still awake on the ships. Natasha was usually one of those people.

“Tonight” found her staring out at the vast expanse of space, enjoying a warm mug of tea that Mantis had prepared for her before she had headed off to sleep. Even though she remembered the long, tense trip that Clint and her had taken to Vormir to get the Soul Stone, she hadn’t really appreciated the stars and galaxies she could see lighting up the darkness. Dying probably had that kind of effect on a person, she mused. The desire to appreciate everything you had overlooked, everything you had taken for granted while you were alive.

“Couldn’t sleep?” a quiet voice called out, breaking the silence over the hum of Quill’s constant stream of music over the speakers - softer when people were asleep.

Natasha turned, watching as Bruce made his way over to her. She shrugged. “I’ve been sleeping, but I don’t know.” She looked out the large window set into the side of the ship again. “I don’t think I’ve ever really enjoyed the stars until now.”

Bruce nodded, coming closer and hesitantly gesturing to the crate that she’d taken up as her seat. “Do you mind some company?”

She smiled, scooting over. “Not at all, Doctor Banner.”

He returned the smile, taking a seat beside her. They just sat with each other quietly, enjoying each other’s company in comfortable silence. Natasha sipped on her tea.

A handful of minutes or maybe a whole hour had passed before Bruce cleared his throat. When he felt Natasha’s eyes on him, he said, “I really missed you, Nat.”

“I missed you, too,” she answered, smile softening. They held each other’s gaze for a beat, feeling the unspoken weight that settled between the two. For once, Natasha didn’t feel like she had the right words to get out of the situation unscathed, suddenly feeling like she was walking on glass that was threatening to shatter. “I, ah -”

“Don’t,” Bruce interrupted, shaking his head. “I - I’m sorry I left.”

“But you didn’t,” Natasha started, slowly trailing off.

He gave her a sad look. “We both know what I’m talking about. I’m sorry I left - I’m sorry I left the team, that I left  _ you _ , after Sokovia.”

And that was what had settled between them wasn’t it? His vanishing into nowhere after their fight with Ultron? She’d been so worried and scared and had felt so utterly abandoned when he just up and disappeared. All of that hurt had only been compounded when he’d come back, eventually confessing that all the time he’d spent away he’d been the Hulk, having stayed that way since Natasha had pushed him off the edge in Sokovia and brought out that side of him - because she needed him, the other guy, the other part of him, needed him like a -

She froze, her mug tipped up slightly at her lips, but she didn’t drink.

A weapon - she’d used him like a weapon, taking the choice out of his hands to change. She’d done what they had done to her in the Red Room countless times. She slowly lowered the mug of tea.

“I’m sorry,” she got out. He sighed, about to protest before she shook her head. “No, I mean it, Bruce. I just - I turned you into a weapon when we were both getting closer because that’s all we’d ever been,  _ weapons _ .” She felt angry tears prick her eyes, completely uncharacteristic of her as she lost her cool. She blinked them away rapidly. “You were right in leaving.”

Bruce put a gentle hand over hers, stilling the tremors he felt there. He met her gaze. “I shouldn’t have left, Nat, that wasn’t right.”

“It was,” she insisted, her hand turning into a fist beneath his touch. “For all the red in my ledger that I’ve been trying to clear out -” Her eyes were hard, brokering no argument. “Bruce, I might not have killed you, but what I did killed us. We were dead in the water the moment I kept seeing you as someone to be weaponized, rather than just as someone I cared about.”

“Can’t it be both?” Bruce asked. Natasha watched him, saying nothing as he continued, “We both know that I’m - yeah, I’m -” He gestured to himself. “When I’m the other guy, I can fight. I’m a weapon. As Bruce, I have nothing to offer but my brain.” He sighed, giving her hand a squeeze when he felt her fist relax. “I’m not in the clear here either - I-I feel like I only let myself get close to you because I felt like you could, you know.” He looked down, towards the ground. “Handle me if I got out of hand.”

“Because I’m me,” Natasha said.

“Yeah,” he nodded, looking towards her. “Because you’re lethal, too.”

She felt her breath catch in her throat, an ache of pain and relief all wrapped into one as the weight that had been sitting between them finally dissipated now that they had put to words what they had skirted around for five years. She leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder, clutching her mug of tea tightly to not spill it onto either of them. “We sure are a piece of work, aren’t we?”

He laughed at that, a sound startled out of him but genuine as ever. “We really, really are.” He patted her hand. “We’re, ah,” he started hesitantly. “We’re still friends, right?”

Natasha nodded against him. “Of course - c’mon, I just came back from the dead, we’re not going to lose each other now that we’ve gotten each other back.”

Bruce relaxed, leaning his head onto hers. “Oh, good, I was terrified that I’d ruined that, too.”

“You worry too much,” she said easily. She offered him her mug, and he took a small sip before handing it back. “Although, there is one loveable demigod that could use someone fretting over him.”

“What are you -” Bruce spluttered, sitting up and looking down at her.

She started laughing, covering her mouth to keep from getting too loud. “Oh, Bruce, you have to give me some credit. Aside from being a literal spy, I dated you. I know what it looks like when you get all -” she made a vague motion with her hand, fighting back more laughter when she saw how red he got.

He shook his head, averting his gaze. “He’s just my -”

“Your friend, yeah,” she smiled, giving him a wink. “Like all the other Avengers didn’t hear that too when we were first getting close.” Her smile softened. “Out of all of us he was definitely the first one to not be afraid of you.”

“Thor just,” he sighed, but there was a smile on his lips too. “Yeah. He - he always calls me by my name, calls me Bruce or Banner whenever I’m the other guy. He doesn’t treat me differently.”

“You’re adorable when you get all sweet like that,” Natasha grinned.

“Nat, no -” Bruce began to whine before he was interrupted by someone poking their head into the hallway.

“I thought I heard you two in here,” Sam said. He nodded at Bruce. “Thor’s lookin’ for you.”

“Oooh,” Nat cooed, and Bruce shot her a glare as he got up from the crate.

Ducking down, he snatched the mug of tea from her. “I’ll take that, thank you,” he loudly got out, but, in a whisper, he added, “Don’t forget that  _ I _ know you too, super spy or not.” He raised a not so subtle brow at Sam. “You basically just got him back too - make your move.”

He began to move away, absolutely satisfied by the bright blush that was creeping up Natasha’s face - he’d actually managed to get one over her, over super spy Natasha Romanoff.

Nodding to Sam, he stepped into the adjacent hallway, heading towards where he could now hear Thor calling out his name.

“Banner looked pretty happy - you guys get back together or something?” Sam asked Natasha.

“No,” Bruce heard her answer. “He just...pointed something out.”

“Hopefully it's good,” Sam said.

“Yeah,” Nat mused, and Bruce felt his own smile go wider as their voices drifted away. “I think it's good.”

* * *

There was a knock on the door of the small side room that Tony, Peter, Stephen, and Rhodey had taken up as their quarters on the  _ Talon Fighter _ . Tony glanced up from the mess of wires Peter and Shuri were fiddling around with, some sort of experiment that was giving both teens something to keep themselves busy. Steve sheepishly stood at the door, giving Tony a small wave.

“Is it okay if we talk?” he asked.

Tony nodded, starting to stand before Shuri and Peter gathered their things up instead. “We’ll head out, Mr. Stark,” Peter told him. “We were going to go find Wanda and show her what we’re working on.”

“Oh, alright,” Tony got out, giving Peter a smile. “Have fun.” He sat back down on his cot, watching as Shuri and Peter gave Steve a nod in greeting before taking their leave.

Steve returned the gesture, but hesitated at the threshold. “Can I come in?”

“Yeah, man,” Tony told him, motioning to the cot right in front of him. “You can sit down. That one’s Peter’s, he won’t mind.”

Hearing that, he finally came inside, shutting the door gently behind him. He came to stand beside the cot across from Tony’s shifting from foot to foot before finally sitting down.

“Jeez, Stars and Stripes, you good over there? I feel like you’re about to break down or something,” Tony commented, trying for a joke.

Steve met his gaze, and there was a brief glimpse of vulnerability before Steve closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. When he opened them again, he seemed resolute, ready and resigned and all sorts of other words that were more Steve and less Captain America. “I’m here to apologize,” he told him.

“Oh,” Tony blinked, unsure what to say to that. He went still under Steve’s gaze, at a loss for how to charm his way out of the conversation that Tony knew would be painful.

“Yeah,” Steve nodded, sighing and looking away. “Look, Tony, I - I was a shit friend.”

Tony got up abruptly. “It’s fine,” he ground out.

Steve stood up too, easily towering over Tony but keeping his distance, not wanting to crowd the man. “No, Tony,” Steve interrupted, shaking his head. “It’s not fine, and we both know it - you know it more than me, since you’re the one I hurt.” Tony was resolutely staring at the ground, off to the left of the cot Steve had been sitting on. “You needed me, past tense,” Steve echoed, quoting what Tony had told him years ago. “You said we would lose, and I said we’d do that together, too. And I lied, Tony,” Steve got out. Tony was still looking away. “I lied - I didn’t want to lie, I wanted it to be the truth, but I didn’t back those words up with anything and they became a lie.” He took a shaky breath. “I - I abandoned you, Tony. And I’m sorry.”

His eyes glanced up to Steve’s but he looked away again just as quickly, his arms coming around to hold himself.

“You were my best friend, and I fucked that up - I fucked it up bad, Tony.” Steve ran a hand through his hair, feeling his throat begin to close up. “I could have handled it so much better but I didn’t and I hurt everyone, but I hurt you most of all, I just -” He stopped, heaving a breath to keep himself from crying. “I abandoned you, and all you were trying to do was keep us together. I’m - I’m sorry, Tony.” He swallowed thickly. “I turned the situation into a choice when it never needed to be - I turned it into a choice and I chose Bucky and I’m sorry I did that to you, that I was such a coward and took the easy way out rather than putting in the work and fixing things.”

He dropped his gaze, looking to the ground, just waiting for Tony to tell him to leave, or for Tony to just leave himself to get away from Steve.

“It - it happened so long ago, I figured we’d just put it behind us when we worked on undoing what Thanos had done,” Tony simply got out.

Steve looked up, catching Tony’s gaze as Tony looked at him hesitantly, quietly, as if he were holding his breath. Steve shook his head again. “I should have apologized sooner - and I’m sorry about that too.”

“We could have talked about this,” Tony said. It was a loaded sentence, encapsulating everything that went unsaid but that they both understood. They could have talked about the Accords, they could have talked about Bucky, they could have talked about the hesitant back and forth that had been budding into more all those years ago.

“I was scared,” Steve whispered, but it sounded too much like an excuse. He rushed on, “And I’m sorry, Tony, I’m so fucking sorry that I’m finally working up the courage to apologize to you about this, about how I handled things, how I pushed things to the breaking point.” He took a half step towards Tony. “I’m sorry about what I said, when we first worked together.”

Tony’s brows furrowed, showing his confusion.

“We were - look, I-I said you weren’t the guy to make the sacrifice play,” Steve ran a hand across his face, brushing away the beginnings of tears and swallowing hard again. “And, fuck, Tony, you proved me wrong over and over and over again - you went and proved me wrong so hard.”

“Is that what you were referring to when I first came back? Back on Vormir?” When Steve nodded, Tony cracked him the ghost of a smile. “I’ve always loved to prove people wrong, you should know that by now.”

“And now I want to do the same for you.” That look of confusion was back on Tony’s face and Steve cursed under his breath. “I-I mean, I want - I want to prove myself to you, to prove to you that I really am sorry, that I do care and that I do want to be your friend.” He exhaled shakily. “I-I just want us to be friends, close friends, like we used to be.”

“We weren’t - we weren’t close friends, Steve,” Tony got out and Steve looked absolutely stricken. “I mean,” Tony huffed out a frustrated sigh, finally turning to him. “We were friends, close friends, but we both know that we were heading towards dangerous territory with each other.” He runs his hands through his hair much like Steve had done earlier, and in that moment the gesture became blurred between the two, a habit that they didn’t know who had started and who had picked it up from the other. It made something ache in Tony’s chest that he desperately wanted to get rid of. “But we weren’t right for each other and God am I glad we never went further - everything that happened afterwards, I don’t know if we would have actually killed each other if we’d broken that.” He met Steve’s gaze. “You know we were - we were both running, Steve. Both running. You were running away from the past you couldn’t go back to and I was running away from...well, from everything before I was Iron Man.” He looked towards the door, as if he could see through it and see everyone and everything that lay on the other side. Everything just seemed so clear now. “You were looking for a best friend, someone you could get close to and just - just fall into, confident and easy. And I was looking for someone to keep me grounded and call me on my shit that I could - that I could completely trust.” He looked at Steve again. “You were looking for Bucky and I was looking for Pepper, Steve.” He shrugged, halfhearted but sure. “And - and while I’m, I’m honestly relieved that you put it into words, that you finally said that there should have never been a choice, I understand why you chose Bucky. I would’ve chosen Pepper.”

Steve stood rooted to the spot. Tony had always been the smart one, and of course he’d actually string everything together and make sense of their mess of shattered trust and jagged feelings. “I’m sorry, Tony,” Steve repeated, and this time the tears began to fall. “I’m so sorry - I-I want to prove to you just how sorry I am, that I’m, I’m ready to work at it and I’ll always be here, I’ll never run again. I just - I want to fix this, I want us to be friends, even though I don’t deserve it.”

Tony sighed, fighting against the lump he felt rise in his own throat. “Look, I - it was rough, it  _ is _ rough, still, on the bad days.” He gave him a humorless laugh. “Or, was? I mean, I’ve only been back for three days, so I guess we’ll see.” He shook his head, as if jostling that thought out of the way. “What I want to say though is just that, yeah, I-I want that too. And I think we can get there, some day.”

“Really?” Steve asked, voice hopeful and small all at the same time.

“Yeah,” Tony smiled. “C’mon, man, you came back from your retirement with Peggy to help save me.” He raised a hand to stop Steve before he even said anything. “And while I know that part of the reason you came back was because of Barnes, you could have just come back and just stayed. With him.” He shrugged, feeling overwhelmed and grateful. “But you didn’t. You risked all of that to help bring me back. You risked that for Natasha and Gamora - for me.”

“That’s just - it’s what h-” Steve started, trying to shy away from Tony’s words.

“Don’t  _ even _ think about giving me the ‘that’s what heroes do’ bullshit,” Tony quipped. He took a step towards Steve. “Because it's not what heroes do - heroes save the world. You saved three people, and risked yourself doing it.” He smiled, hesitant but soft. “It’s what friends do.”

Steve sniffled loudly, and Tony knew that the waterworks were now going to be coming in earnest. “Oh, God, Cap, no,” Tony got out, wrinkling his nose as Steve wiped at his face.

“I’m sorry - fuck, Tony, I just, I fucked up so bad,” Steve breathed out on a sob.

“And we’ll work it out,” Tony assured him. He wanted to work it out. He clapped Steve on the shoulder, feeling how he was shaking to keep from crying any harder. “And - I-I’m sorry too. About when we were first working together. What’s special about you didn’t come out of a bottle.” He poked Steve’s arm. “It’s always been you, Rogers.” He poked his arm again. “But that bottle did give you an insane amount of muscles.”

That pulled a watery laugh out of Steve, and before Tony could protest Steve had pulled him into a hug. It was hesitant and gentle, and Tony knew he could easily break it, but he didn’t want to. He leaned into it, his arms snaking around Steve and patting him on the back, as Steve gave him a comforting squeeze. Tony allowed himself a few tears too, hiding them in Steve’s shoulder. Finally hearing that - finally getting an apology that he had sworn up and down to himself that he didn’t need - it felt good. He felt light, happy, at ease around Steve again that had been so rare since everything had happened but that he hoped would eventually become the norm again.

They stayed like that for a few beats before Tony patted Steve on the back again. “Now let's leave some room for Jesus, I don’t want Barnes to come in here and think I’m trying to pull a fast one on you.”  
Steve laughed again, letting go and stepping back, wiping the last of his tears away. “Bucky’s harmless.” At Tony’s completely unconvinced expression, Steve amended, “He’s harmless with friends. And you’re our friend, Tony.” He smiled when he saw Tony give him a small smile. “But Pepper though - that’s who I’m worried about kicking my ass.”

“Pepper can most definitely kick your ass, although she might just send Morgan your way and have her shame you to death with that scowl of hers,” Tony grinned, and thinking about them, about his family, made his heart swell. And Steve was one of the people who had helped him get back to them. “You’ll see what I’m talking about after you’ve both come over for dinner enough times - everyone’s bound to get that scowl from her at some point.”

Tears welled in Steve’s eyes again. “I can’t wait,” he grinned.

“Neither can I, Cap,” Tony sighed happily, feeling his heartbeat jump and stutter in his chest as he thought about Pepper and Morgan and Harley, all waiting for him and Peter at home. “Neither can I.”

* * *

Nebula rolled over in bed, hearing movement in the room. She sat up quickly, immediately unsheathing one of her daggers as she looked around frantically.

“It’s just me, you can put that away,” Gamora said, pulling on a clean shirt. Nebula relaxed as soon as she saw her, swinging her legs out from the bunk as she tucked the dagger beneath her pillow again.

“How long was I asleep?” she asked.

“About an hour, honestly.” Gamora tossed her oil stained shirt into the hamper - what felt like a common occurrence whenever she helped Rocket, but something that was still so new for Nebula to see. “Go back to sleep, Nebula. You need your rest.”

Gamora began to head back out, walking past Nebula. Without a second thought, Nebula reached out and grabbed Gamora’s wrist. Gamora’s initial instinct was to pull away, and so she flinched back before freezing, feeling Nebula’s hold on her slacken before it disappeared altogether.

“Yes?” Gamora prodded when Nebula stared at a blank space on the wall.

“I’m just,” her eyes darted to Gamora before she looked away again. “I just missed my sister. I missed you.”

Although Gamora felt the same, it was completely unexpected to hear. She stepped closer to Nebula, closing the distance between the two of them. “Do you remember when we were kids?”

Nebula looked up at her suspiciously. “Yes - of course I do.”

“Do you remember what we’d do when all the lights would go out?” Gamora pressed.

“You - you were afraid of the dark,” Nebula said quietly. She cocked her head to the side. “You’re not afraid of the dark anymore, are you?”

“No,” Gamora answered, slowly moving to sit on the bed beside Nebula, finally sitting down once Nebula made some room for her. “But I do have trouble sleeping sometimes, like you have trouble sleeping.” Feeling the way Nebula began to bristle at her words, Gamora added, “I would get Mantis to help me sleep, on the really bad nights.”

Nebula nodded. She’d seen some of the guardians do that before, but had never asked for her help personally.

“But I do think that if things were like when the lights would go out, and we were kids, well,” she shrugged. “I wouldn’t have problems sleeping.” She looked over at her sister, at her unreadable expression, one that she hoped she was going to get better at deciphering as time went on. “I can ask Mantis to help you sleep?”

“Could you?” Nebula got out quietly, and Gamora nodded, beginning to stand when Nebula gripped her wrist again. “Could you do what I used to do - to help you sleep?” she finished.

Gamora smiled softly, feeling the sting of tears at the back of her eyes as she sat back down. “Of course.”

Nebula moved over, laying down with her head on her pillow as Gamora sat beside her. Nebula pulled the thin blanket she had over herself, up to her chin, and it reminded Gamora so much of when they were still young, soft and scared, already full of pain yet not willing to be cruel to the world, to each other. Nebula turned her back to her, facing the wall, and Gamora began to run her hand over her head, slow, comforting motions that were meant to lull her to sleep. She could feel the change in texture, where her skin gave way to metal, and her heart ached for all the time lost and all the pain her sister had gone through while also sighing in relief that now they had the future to look forward to. Together.

“I missed you, too,” Gamora said quietly, and she could feel Nebula shake softly, trying to cry quietly, trying to keep it hidden from Gamora. Gamora didn’t comment on it, only kept trying to lull her to sleep - and stayed by her side long after she had finally drifted off.


	2. Reunions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers arrive on Earth and reunite with their loved ones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we are!!! with the next chapter as quickly as I can write !! This one was so much fun to write, and man am I excited for the rest of these chapters too!!! I really hope you guys like it!!

Even though Tony had been absolutely  _ dying _ to peek into the control room when he heard Pepper’s voice coming in through the speakers, he stayed in the hallway, just as he’d planned. He was going to wait to see her  _ in person _ . He wasn’t going to see her on the screen and then have to wait until they finally made it back home. He was going to be patient now so that he didn’t drive himself up the wall with impatience later. Yeah, that was exactly the plan.

He tapped his foot on the ground, rhythmless and impatient already. He absolutely couldn’t wait to get home.

“You’re gonna stomp a hole into the floor like that,” Barnes commented, stepping out of the control room after Fury finally ended the call.

Tony raised a brow. “I’m not stomping around,” he quipped.

Barnes started to say something but stopped, rubbing at the back of his neck worriedly. Tony recognized that look, he’d seen the exact same look on Steve when he’d come into his room - he knew exactly what was coming.

“Please, don’t,” Tony almost begged. He knew that sooner or later this conversation was going to come up, but he didn’t need it, not now when they were only a handful of hours away from home. “Barnes, I get it.” He couldn’t say it was fine, because it would never be fine, but he got it. “You - it’s been hard for both of us.” He looked away, shoving his hands in his pockets. “We’ll work on this, just - not now.”

“Alright,” Barnes nodded. He walked past Tony, hesitating beside him. “I’m glad that your girl doesn’t have to go through what you did,” he said quietly.

The tension that had settled on Tony’s shoulders softened at that. “And that’s - yeah, it’s thanks to you and the group, Barnes.” He gave him a hesitant pat on the arm. “It’s thanks to all of you.”

This was as close to an olive branch as they were going to get.

Barnes smiled at him, nodding before heading down the hall. They would work on this - and Tony hadn’t been lying when he’d told Steve that the both of them were more than welcome to dinner. They would work on this, and maybe even become friends someday, not for Steve’s sake, but because they might genuinely grow to like each other. It was just a matter of time.

* * *

It was just before dusk when Tony spotted his little lakeside cabin nestled amongst the trees. There was a clearing just large enough for both ships - and as they drew closer the sound brought someone from within the cabin outside. Tony felt the lump in his throat grow as he tore his eyes away from her, heading straight for the exit hatch. Peter was already waiting for him there, and he gave him a reassuring smile.

“Ready, Mr. Stark?”

Tony nodded. He didn’t trust his voice.

More people joined them at the back of the ship, but he didn’t pay them any mind, not when the ship lurched that familiar way that told them it hand landed. There was a hiss of pressurized air escaping from the hatch before a whip of wind flooded the ship as the hatch began to open slowly, coming to rest on the ground.

He stepped out, facing the lake, and he braced himself as he crossed the half dozen feet until he was around the ship, facing his house.

Pepper stood there, her hands covering her mouth as she gasped, and then she was running forward, closing the distance between the two even as Tony stood rooted to the spot. She threw herself into his arms and he caught her without hesitation, holding her tightly.

“Oh, Tony,” she whispered, burying her face in the crook of his neck. He closed his eyes, feeling tears well in his eyes as he wrapped her up in his arms. She smelled like honey and lavender and motor oil, and it made him laugh, a hysterically disbelieving laugh that was choked off like a sob. “You’re really here,” she said thickly.

“I - I am,” Tony got out. “Oh, God, Pep - I’m really here.”

There was the soft creak of the cabin door and a loud scream.

Tony looked up, but before he could register there was someone barreling straight into him, wrapping her tiny arms around him. The tears started falling harder now as he let go of Pepper with one arm, scooping Morgan up with the other. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he pressed a kiss to her temple.

“You - I - I missed you,” she cried. “I-I missed you so much, and, and - and you came back!”

“Of course, I -” Tony started, feeling his breath shudder in his chest as he kept from dissolving into tears. He squeezed his eyes shut, unable to keep himself together. “I’m so happy I’m back.”

Loud sniffles could be heard before two other sets of arms joined into the hug. Tony opened his eyes, seeing Happy and Harley holding onto them tightly.

“Make some room,” Rhodey announced, joining the hug too.

Laughing thickly, Tony reached a hand up to affectionately tousle Harley’s hair, and he caught sight of May pulling out of a hug with Peter, gently stroking his face with tears running down both of their cheeks too.

Tony swallowed hard. “Come join in,” he invited, referring to the both of them, because they were family, too, they were a part of this, a part of what made him whole. Peter turned to him, and his lip trembled before he brought his Aunt May over and they fell into the embrace.

“You’re home, dad. You’re really home,” Morgan sobbed, holding onto him tighter. “I-I, I love you, 3000.”

“I love you, 3000, too,” Tony answered, letting himself bask in the moment, memorizing it, memorizing the way his heart swelled to take in all the love he felt for his family, for the people that were  _ home _ for him. “All of you,” he said. He kissed Pepper on the forehead, then dropped a peck on her lips. “I’m home.”

* * *

Thanks to Doctor Strange’s magic trick, everyone was able to go home much quicker than when they had arrived. Hope and Scott stepped through the portal, coming out on Maggie’s front porch. Without missing a beat, Scott rang the doorbell.

They waited for maye 30 seconds at most before the door was yanked open, and suddenly Cassie - his teenage daughter, Scott’s  _ real _ Cassie - was in Scott’s arms, holding him tightly.

“Did you do it?” she asked.

He nodded, finally letting himself lean into everything he’d been feeling since he’d seen Tony reunite with his family. “He’s - they’re back. All three, they’re back.”

She gave him a tight squeeze, and when she pulled back he saw Maggie and Jim standing at the door, watching them fondly.

“Would you like to come in for dinner?” Jim offered.

“There’s plenty to go around,” Maggie said, waving them inside.

“Well, if there’s plenty to go around,” Hope smiled. She patted Scott’s arm. “I’m tired of space food.”

Scott wrinkled his nose, throwing an arm around Cassie as he moved to hold Hope’s hand. “Space food blows.” He grinned happily at Cassie. “Remind me to bring you some to try next time.”

“That sounds awesome,” Cassie told him, mirroring his expression as they stepped in through the door - and, man, he was so glad that he was able to bring this back, small moments like these with their families, for Tony, Natasha, and Gamora.

* * *

Even though they should have expected it, Okoye, Shuri, and T’Challa all instinctively flinched when Strange’s bright orange portal disappeared, revealing a narrow eyed Queen Mother Ramonda and a furious Nakia sitting side by side in the royal family’s private dining chamber.

When T’Challa had described where he wanted the portal placed to Strange, he had requested it be in that room since no one would see the portal and grow alarmed by it. Now though - now they sure were in for it.

“Where were you?” Nakia glowered, setting her fork down.

“Ah - we were -” T’Challa started.

“It’s been two weeks, T’Challa,” his mother calmy informed him. She looked at the three in turn. “Explain yourselves.”

“Mama, we - it was -” Shuri stumbled over herself.

“We brought back Stark,” Okoye got out.

The Queen’s calm demeanour fractured as her mouth dropped open in a small “o”.

Okoye took that as a sign to continue. “We brought back Stark, and Romanoff, and one of the Guardians, all lost due to Thanos’ quest for power.”

Ramonda stood up slowly, her hand resting at her chest. “I had visions,” she whispered.

“As did I,” T’Challa admitted, feeling more sure of himself, less of a frightened boy about to be scolded by his mother. “They - they were reaching out to us.”

“Stark and Romanoff - they brought you back to me,” Ramonda said, fighting back tears. “And - well -” She looked at Okoye. “The General and I both heard the stories of the Guardian. She was a victim to that monster as everyone else was.”

“But that doesn’t mean you could just leave like that,” Nakia ground out, her voice thick. She rubbed furiously at her eyes. “We were both - we were both so worried.”

Stepping forward, Ramonda extended her arms. Shuri closed the distance first, wrapping her arms around her mother before T’Challa joined them too. Ramonda kissed both of them fiercely, whispering, “Your father would be so proud of you both.”

“We know,” Shuri assured her, tightening her hold on both of them. “We know, Mama.”

Nakia fell in behind T’Challa, hugging him tightly.

“General,” Ramonda prompted, and Okoye wordlessly complied, wrapping her arms around the Queen Mother and Shuri. “Thank Bast you’re all okay.”

They stayed like that for a beat, ignoring each other’s sniffles and tears, before they broke away.

“Tsh,” T’Challa hissed, getting pulled back by Nakia as she grabbed him by the ear. “Nakia,” he whined.

She pulled him away from the group, letting him go to rub at his ear sheepishly, before she dragged him down for a kiss. “Bring me along next time, yeah?” she asked.

He nodded, kissing her again, as Ramonda and Okoye shook their heads fondly at their antics and Shuri pretended to retch.

“While this has been fun,” Shuri announced, already heading for the door. “I have a project to work on.”

“Shuri,” her mother started, the warning clear in her voice.

“Nothing dangerous, Mama,” she promised. She paused at the door, looking at her mother. “I’ll come by to say goodnight.”

“You’d better, child,” she told her.

Smiling brightly, Shuri stepped out of the dining room, plans and schematics crowding her brain, thinking about how happy Wanda was going to be when she invited her over to show her.

* * *

“Isn’t this welcome party a little too big?” Sam whispered, glancing at Clint.

He waved his worry away. “Laura and the kids, they’ll be,” he caught sight of Natasha out of the corner of his eye, at how she was staring at his little farmhouse with fondness and wonder. “They’ll be thrilled to have guests over.”

And with that, he closed the distance between them and his house, climbing up the handful of stairs and crossing the porch before he knocked on the door. No use just walking in with his keys if he was going to scare half the household to death.

There was the sound of running footsteps before the curtain over the window shifted imperceptibly, then the door was being thrown open and he was pulled into a tight hug by Lila.

“Whoa, kid, hey, it’s okay, I’m back,” Clint reassured her when he felt her shoulders beginning to shake. He held her close, kissing the top of her head before he looked up, finding Laura in the hallway.

“You’re home,” she said simply, but her eyes betrayed her, the way she blinked them rapidly to keep from crying like Lila.

“Yeah,” Clint nodded. He rubbed Lila’s back with one hand, extending the other out to his wife. “And it feels so good to be here.”

It only took her half a dozen steps before she was tucked into his side, holding on tight, pressing a kiss to his cheek, then to his lips.

“Did - is she -” Laura started, looking up at Clint.

Smiling brightly, he pulled away from her, stepping to the side.

Natasha stood behind him, giving them a small wave. “I hope you don’t mind an extra dinner guest.”

Laura finally burst into tears, stepping outside and pulling Natasha into a tight hug. “Oh, Nat, I’m so happy you’re - you’re really back.”

Without any hesitation Natasha hugged her back, then she felt Lila, and two other sets of arms wrap around her, with the newcomers both cheering, “Aunt Nat! Aunt Nat!” as Cooper and Nathaniel joined them. She met Clint’s gaze over Laura’s shoulder, and he gave her and a sideways grin, lightheartedly teasing her about her tears by fluttering his eyelashes.

She huffed out a laugh, breaking away from the family before she scooped up Nathaniel in her arms. “So, I take it you all missed me?”

“Of course, we did!” Cooper exclaimed as Nathaniel wrapped his arms around her neck, refusing to let her go.

Her expression softened. “I missed you all, too,” she admitted.

The moment settled around them, only broken when someone cleared their throat.

They all turned, watching as Sam sheepishly inclined his head respectfully. “I hope you don’t mind dinner  _ guests _ ,” Sam amended, echoing Natasha.

Laura looked past him, at Fury, Maria, and Wanda, who all waved at the family.

Smiling, she nodded towards the inside of the house. “You’re all just in time to help me get started on dinner - the more hands to help, the merrier.”

“Does that mean we can hang out with Aunt Nat?” Nathaniel asked his mom, instantly sensing his chance to escape his responsibilities.

Feigning being deep in thought for a second, Laura gave him a sweet smile. “Of course. Don’t you three be bothering her, though.”

As the kids cheered and Sam, Fury, Maria, and Wanda all began to file into the house, with Wanda volunteering to make a Sokovian dish she had apparently cooked for them during a previous visit to the Barton home and Maria asking if she could bring out a few beers despite the exasperated sound Fury made because “There are kids here, Agent Hill,” Natasha watched on, happy and grateful to be able to experience this. To have a family again - and another chance at living her life.

* * *

As soon as Stephen finally arrived at the Sanctum, he allowed himself a loud sigh of relief. They’d done it. Tony and Natasha and Gamora - they were safe and sound and, most importantly, alive.

He began to trudge to his quarters, shedding layer after layer of his clothes as he went. Thankfully, the Cloak of Levitation caught all of it like a sentient laundry bag, or else Wong would give him an earful when he saw him. When he finally got into his room and saw his bed, he almost cried. No more little cots in a cramped room on the  _ Talon Fighter _ . All that was here were soft, clean linens, and a room all to himself.

The last few feet to his bed felt eternal before he finally collapsed onto it, hearing a soft thump as his clothes were deposited to the floor before his blanket was pulled over him.

“Thanks,” he mumbled, cracking an eye open to see the Cloak flit over to drape itself over the mannequin that Stephen had gotten it, giving it somewhere to perch that wasn’t always his shoulders.

Settling down comfortably into his bed, he closed his eyes, knowing sleep would take him quickly with how exhausted he was.

Except - he couldn’t fall asleep.

His room felt much too big, much too quiet without the soft snores of his friends. He found himself actually  _ missing _ the way Peter mumbled in his sleep, something that Tony did too, he realized, after they’d gotten him back. He even - and God was he glad he was alone when he was admitting this - missed seeing  _ Steve _ around.

“Why did you have to get attached?” he asked himself loudly. Sitting up, he reached over the side of the bed and rummaged through his pile of clothes until he found his pants, quickly fishing his phone out of his pocket. He turned up his ringer and his notifications so that he wouldn’t miss any. He figured that since he had opened up portals for everyone to get them home, that maybe some of them might need portals to go elsewhere to pick up their vehicles and what not. He sincerely doubted that the Bartons lived with so many other people.

Setting his phone down on his nightstand, he fell back into bed again. He would be there when they needed him to help - and also so that he could spend a bit more time with these people that he was begrudgingly calling his friends. Huffing out a fond sigh, he curled up on his side, with sleep finally descending to offer him a good night’s rest.

* * *

The compound was dark and quiet as Steve and Bucky walked through the halls, heading towards where Bucky knew there were spare rooms. He’d spent enough time here with Bruce and the rest of the Avengers’ meager numbers once the dust had settled after their final battle with Thanos. It had always felt good to be doing something, just helping around or training, and he realized now that all of that had been to cover up the hole that he felt in his chest. He glanced over at Steve who carried their meager bags from their journey over his shoulder.

This, he realized, was what he’d been looking for the entire time.

He reached out slowly, hesitantly, letting his fingers brush against Steve’s. Steve glanced over with a smile, instantly understanding as he threaded their fingers together.

“You know, we could’ve gone over with Thor to New Asgard like he’d invited,” Bucky told him.

Steve shrugged. “I know.”

They kept walking in relative silence, comfortable silence, before Bucky stopped them in front of a hallway.

“These are the spare rooms,” Bucky informed, motioning at the doors that lined the hallway.

“Alright,” Steve nodded. “Which one are we picking?”

Bucky looked up at him, not in surprise exactly, but with an almost overwhelming swell of emotions blossoming in his chest.

“I-if you want,” Steve immediately added, seeing the look on Bucky’s face.

He gave Steve a jerky nod. “I - yeah,  _ yes _ , Steve, you idiot, of course I -” He took a deep breath, stopping in his stuttering. “I’d like that.”

“Then lead the way,” Steve grinned.

So Bucky did just that, finding the door tucked into the back corner of the hallway and pushing it open. It was a sparsely furnished room, with just the bare necessities and a door leading to the bathroom. As Steve dropped their bags to the floor, though, the place felt like home.

Steve pulled Bucky closer, bringing him to stand in front of him. “Y’know why we aren’t in New Asgard right now?” Bucky shook his head, even though in his heart he already knew the answer. “Because I wanted to spend time with you, Buck. Just with you,” Steve finished, ducking down and pressing his lips to Bucky.

Revelling in the feeling of it, Bucky held on tightly to Steve, pressing closer and kissing him again.

“Never wanna be away from you,” Steve murmured against his lips, bringing his hands to cup Bucky’s face softly, gently, as if Bucky were the most precious thing in the world. “I-I’ve already lost so much time, I don’t wanna do that again -”

Bucky held on to the front of Steve’s shirt, pressing flush against him as he began to press kisses to Steve’s jaw. “I’m right here,” he assured breathlessly. “Right here.”

Taking a step forward, Steve sighed shakily when he felt Bucky stepping backwards, letting Steve lead him back to the bed. When Bucky’s knees hit the edge, he let himself fall back, bringing Steve down with him.

“I love you,” Steve said, the words coming straight from his heart, a whisper and a prayer and a promise. “I love you so much.”

Bucky’s hair looked like a halo around his head where it was splayed out against the bed. “I love you, too,” he answered, without missing a beat, voice full of warmth and fondness, soft as a caress.

“Never gonna stop,” Steve breathed out, ducking down again to kiss Bucky, both of them more enthusiastic, more hurried, both so eager to make up for lost time but with the promise of all the time in the world to make each moment they had now count.

* * *

Even though they should have expected as much from Thor, they didn’t realize that when he had asked them to contact Valkyrie that he would instruct her to get ready for their arrival. It seemed like an innocuous request, probably his way of telling her to find them lodging for the night so that the Guardians didn’t have to sleep on the ship again.

However, as soon as they touched down on the outskirts of New Asgard, they realized that “get ready for their arrival” obviously had a much more involved meaning than they had assumed.

“Welcome back!” Valkyrie called out, a flagon raised high as everyone around her followed suit. The plaza was crowded with dozens of tables piled high with food.

Thor laughed, the sound like rolling thunder. “New Asgard!” he greeted, and everyone cheered loudly. His smile was bright, much, much brighter than many of the citizens had seen it over the past half decade. He waved his hand behind him, at his guests, “Firstly, as some of you may recognize, Doctor Banner!”

People wolf whistled and cheered, waving enthusiastically at Bruce as he sheepishly waved back, stepping closer to Thor to hide shyly behind him and get out from under all of the attention.

“Secondly, the Guardians of the Galaxy!” he introduced.

There was more cheers and laughter, with some people calling out Rocket’s name since he was the one they were most familiar with. Groot lifted Rocket up onto his shoulders, and Rocket waved and bowed, basking in the people’s greeting.

“Thirdly,” Thor said, meeting Gamora’s eyes. “Lady Gamora, returned from the stone, just as Stark and Romanoff were returned and are now with their families as well.”

Cheers and applause rang out as Quill took Gamora’s hand, lifting it in the air with Nebula quickly following suit from her other side, causing the cheering to get even louder.

“We should have come to visit these people ages ago,” Drax whispered to Mantis.

“And, finally,” he turned again, extending a hand. From the shadows, where he was hidden, Loki stepped out. “Loki Odinson, returned to his people!”

This round of cheers and applause was deafening, with joyous gasps and tears greeting Loki as he looked out at the citizens of New Asgard.

“So tonight, we feast in celebration - we feast for the health of Gamora, Stark, and Romanoff, and we feast for my brother!” Thor finished.

Everyone who had a drink in hand raised it high before almost downing it in one go.

“I told you they would welcome you home,” Thor told Loki.

Loki cleared his throat, finding his voice. “It is one thing to hear you assure me of that and another thing entirely to see it.”

“Aw, is the prince going to cry?” Valkyrie teased, joining the brothers.

His eyes narrowed. “Of course not.”

Thor watched them fondly, turning to the Guardians. “Go on - this is a feast to celebrate our success!”

“You don’t need to tell me again,” Quill grinned, tugging Gamora along behind him who in turn tugged Nebula into the throng of feasting people.

“I’m perfectly capable of walking by myself,” Nebula huffed.

“Don’t want you to try and sneak off,” Gamora answered, and Nebula looked away, hiding a warm smile.

“I am Groot!” Groot cheered, jostling Rocket from where he was still on his shoulders.

“Whoa, careful buddy, I don’t wanna get dropped,” Rocket laughed.

“Everyone feels so happy,” Mantis smiled, following behind Drax and leaving Thor, Loki, Bruce, and Valkyrie to watch as they were welcomed and steered towards the best foods by their people.

Thor threw an arm around Loki’s shoulders and another around Bruce’s. “The Revengers - back together again!”

“Back together again,” Loki echoed, sounding much happier than he ever had and clearly realizing it as he plastered a scowl on his face that slipped into something much easier with the sounds of his brother and his friends laughing happily around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and so they are reunited with their families T.T ngl, this chapter was tough as fuck, because I wasn't sure how to do it, if I should just stick with the three or include everyone, but it was a journey they all went on so in the end I decided to have all of them involved!!
> 
> (and man, it's been a hot minute, but like, fuck the Russos, I just watched the fucking alternate death scene for Gamora and FUCK, THAT SHOULDA BEEN THE ONE, THAT ONE WAS JUST SO MUCH BETTER IN MY HONEST HOE OPINION, IT FELT SO MUCH MORE IN LINE WITH HER CHARACTER RATHER THAN HAVING HER ESSENTIALLY BARGAIN WHY HER LIFE WAS WORTH LESS THAN CLINT'S, like, fuck Endgame all over again)
> 
> I really hope you guys liked this chapter, and I can't wait to see you again when I drop the next one!! Thank you so much for reading!!


	3. Smiles, Hugs, and Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is starting to settle back into their lives, spending time with loved ones and making plans for the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter, touching on a few characters as we start to wind down to the end of this series
> 
> thank you so much for sticking through it, and I hope you guys really like it!!!

Fury sighed, putting his phone down and rubbing at his temples in exasperation.

“The call went that bad, huh?” Maria asked, glancing up from the reports she was looking over. Thus far, everything seemed to be coming together nicely - except for whatever had Fury like that.

“We go out, we get that jackass back, and he just,” Fury gets out, sighing even louder this time in annoyance. “I mean, I get it though. He’s got a family, and he said that we can still count on him - figures, hero types can’t quit even in retirement.”

Agent Hill shook her head. This didn’t come as a surprise to either of them, but she knew that this conversation must have been like pulling teeth for Fury. Thankfully, the perfect distraction came through as Maria’s communicator went off.

“ _Steve Rogers is requesting to speak with Director Fury_ ,” the smooth voice of the AI came through - one of Tony’s creations, something he’d whipped up in less than a week of his return. It still didn’t have a name yet but she was sure that in due time they’d come up with something.

“Put him through,” Hill instructed, and less than a second later Fury’s phone began to buzz. “It’s Rogers,” she told him when he glanced up at her.

“This better be good news,” he grumbled, picking up. “What do you want?” He got quiet as Steve began to talk on the other end and so Maria went back to her reports.

“Son of a bitch,” Fury got out after a few minutes, and Maria glanced up in time to see him put his head in his free hand. “If that’s what you really want, Rogers, I can’t stop you,” he sighed, and from the sound of it, Tony and Steve had very similar ideas - and both were driving Fury up the wall.

* * *

Stephen’s days in the Sanctum were structured depending on the goings on of the multiverse at large. If there were no extra-dimensional threats, and no world threatening disasters looming over everyone, then Stephen took his days with calm. Since coming back from Vormir, most days had been tranquil like that, allowing Stephen plenty of time to check on other sorcerers, on trainees, and it even left him time leftover to dive into his studies of ancient artifacts and difficult magicks.

This afternoon found Stephen doing just that, sitting in his study with a tome cracked open as he studied transmutation magic that he was still getting the hang of. He’d been at it for hours at that point, stopping only briefly when Wong had forced him out to go eat before Strange went back to reading.

He had gotten as far as turning copper to silver when his phone rang.

Without missing a beat - albeit reluctantly - Stephen answered. “Strange,” was his curt greeting.

“Mr - Doctor Strange!” Peter said, and despite himself Stephen found himself smiling fondly. “I hope you’re not busy - I-I was just wondering if I could go visit you?”

“Right now?” Stephen asked. He looked down at the book and at the small silver piece sitting beside it. “Because I’m not very busy at the moment, so you can if you’d like.”

“Really? Then - its okay if I come over? And can I bring a friend?” Peter continued enthusiastically.

Well, that was new. While Peter had certainly picked up a habit of visiting him every now and again after school and when he didn’t have plans with his Aunt or Tony, he’d never brought along a friend before.

“Are they to be trusted?” Stephen heard himself ask, rather than shoot down the idea outright.

“He is so, _so_ trustworthy. He even knows I’m Spiderman,” Peter informed him.

And while that did certainly vouch for the trustworthiness of his friend, Stephen made a mental note to talk to him about who he gave that information to. He knew that Tony wasn’t the best example in that regard since he had so openly admitted to being Iron Man, so he should probably just give him a brief word of advice.

“Alright - well, where are you both?” Stephen continued, standing and readying his Sling Ring to open up a portal.

“In my living room - I already talked to Aunt May and everything and told her we’d be back after dinner,” Peter said, and, man, was this kid confident that Stephen was going to say yes. But he’d been right, hadn’t he?

“See you in a minute then,” Stephen told him before hanging up and focusing on May’s apartment, on May’s living room where he’d had tea with them a handful of times. He centered his focus on that point, starting to create the portal as he turned his hand in the air, the small ring of orange beginning to expand before he could see Peter and another boy, Peter with an excited smile on his face and the other boy looking on in awe.

Peter waved to someone Stephen couldn’t see before grabbing his friend by the arm, bringing them both through the portal.

“See, Ned? What did I tell you!” Peter exclaimed. “Isn’t it super cool?”

“Yeah,” his friend - Ned - breathed out. He blinked, coming to himself before bowing his head and then extending out his hand, unsure how to greet Stephen apparently. “I’m Ned Leeds, Peter’s best friend - it’s amazing to finally meet you, Doctor Strange.”

Stephen took Ned’s hand, giving him a small handshake. When the teen didn’t comment on the tremors of his hands, Stephen found that he already liked him much more than when he’d first walked in. “It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Leeds.” He steepled his hands together, using the pressure they put on each other to still them briefly. “What brings you both here today?”

Ned glanced over at Peter nervously before starting, “Well, Peter was telling me about how cool you were and stuff and -”

“He wanted to know if you would take him on as an apprentice!” Peter blurted out. Stephen’s brow furrowed in confusion as Peter barreled on, “I told him about how we fought on Titan together and then about how you brought us all to Earth,” he mimicked the motions that Stephen would make when creating the Sling Ring portal, “and then we all fought Thanos together - and Ned thought that was, like, amazing, which it totally is, so I told him we should ask you if you could teach Ned. Like, he could be your apprentice or something -”

“Peter,” Ned whined, covering his face in his hands. From the sound of it, he had wanted to ease into that question rather than just dump it onto Strange like that. The dynamic the boys had definitely seemed to suit them.

Before Peter could continue, Stephen said, “Mr. Leeds, what are your grades in Midtown?”

“St-straight A’s, sir,” he answered quickly.

“Any notable achievements?” Strange followed up.

Without any hesitation Ned began to list off things he’d done, awards and academic decathlon placement and other such items.

“He also unlocked the suit for me,” Peter added, and Ned instantly turned to him with wide eyes. “Mr. Stark had put something called ‘training wheels’ on the suit and Ned was able to hack into it and unlock everything the suit had so that I could use it.”

“Is that so?” Stephen asked, raising a brow.

“N - yes,” Ned confessed with a sigh.

“That is definitely impressive,” Stephen told him, unable to suppress a smile. He was certainly going to have a field day teasing Tony about that.

“You’re not mad? Isn’t Mr. Stark your friend?” Ned asked hesitantly.

“He is,” Stephen admitted, and it actually felt nice saying it out loud. Having friends outside of Wong and the sorcerers. “But he won’t mind - and that shows me that you’ve got promise.”

“Told you,” Peter whispered.

“So, does that mean -” Ned began, a disbelieving smile starting to spread across his face.

“It means I will consider it,” Stephen said. He walked past the boys, over to his bookshelves and began pulling out a handful of tomes until he had half a dozen balanced under his arm that the Cloak immediately took from him so he didn’t strain himself. He used to find the Cloak’s coddling annoying but now he found it nothing but endearing. He tapped the desk, and the Cloak set them down. “These are just some of what would be considered introductory material,” Stephen told them, and he could see the way Ned’s eyes widened. “Depending on how you get through these, we can see about taking you under my tutelage.”

Before either of the boys could say anything, however, Stephen raised a hand. “But first, how about an early dinner?” he asked, finally feeling hunger descend upon him now that he was away from his own reading. “I’m starving.”

“Can we have Thai?” Peter suggested. “I’ve been craving pad thai all day.”

“I’m sure Wong wouldn’t mind pad thai,” Stephen said, beginning to head out of his study with Peter falling into step beside him. “Come along, Mr. Leeds,” he invited, and he heard as the teen rushed to join them. “I could give you a small tour of the Sanctum as we go and show you where the majority of our lessons will be taking place.”

The boys shared a quiet high five as Stephen led them through the Sanctum, pointing out artifacts and artwork as they looked for Wong before they all went out for dinner.

* * *

It didn’t take Gamora long to find Quill on the outskirts of New Asgard - not with the _Milano_ as should have been expected, but instead overlooking one of the cliffs, with only the roar of the ocean below keeping him company.

“Everything okay?” Gamora asked, cresting the hill and coming to stand beside him.

He reached out for her, taking her hand in his - a simple gesture that he’d picked up, one that he did whenever she was close, his way of reminding himself that she was there with him. “Yeah, everything's fine,” he answered, giving her a reassuring smile.

She gave him a stern look.

“I promise, I’m fine,” he repeated.

“Peter, I know you hate being on Earth,” she said quietly. “You know we can leave whenever you want.”

Quill opened his mouth to protest, but instead he sighed, his shoulders dropping. “I know,” he got out. “It’s just hard, you know? Coming back and knowing she’s not here - knowing that it's just me.”

Gamora squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry,” she told him, honest and comforting in a way she’d learned from being a part of the group, not something she had ever picked up on from any of her previous training.

“It’s okay,” he told her, his smile strained but growing warmer when she smiled back, moving closer to press a quick kiss to his cheek.

“Are you ready to go, then?” she asked again.

He nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Alright,” she smiled, starting to head back to the small town and tugging him along after her. It was a twenty minute walk before they were finally walking down the streets, smiling and greeting passing villagers that recognized them.

They saw Groot, Mantis, and Bruce helping an older Asgardian woman hang a sign off the storefront of a small bakery, the couple walking by unnoticed by the trio as they focused on their task. They kept going, past the plaza where they’d feasted the first night and well into the next day, heading for the training yard that Valkyrie and Thor had put in when they’d first moved into the town. According to Valkyrie, the yard hadn’t ever seen much use, but in the time they’d been back it had definitely seen more than enough sparring matches.

Which was exactly what they found this time around as Drax and Thor went at it, both using different weapons to perfect other styles, with Drax forgoing his twin swords for a warhammer and Thor setting aside Stormbreaker for a greatsword. They were going at it with glee, with Nebula and Valkyrie shouting out suggestions about how to get one up on each other from the sidelines and Loki and Rocket sitting off beside them enjoying snacks and heckling them on their form.

Quill and Gamora watched, keeping track of the way Thor parried and attacked while Drax dodged and lunged. Thor may pack more of a punch, but thus far Drax was proving to be a much more dextrous fighter than Thor was.

“If Thor had tripped Drax up when Drax was ducking past, he could have beat him three moves ago,” Gamora commented. She pointed at the pair. “See, he could have done it again.”

“Thor just wants to keep the fight going as long as possible,” Quill shrugged. He watched as his friends began to cheer and laugh when Drax got in a good blow, only to then get knocked back a few feet when Thor retaliated with a lightning infused strike with his greatsword.

“That’s cheating!” Drax shouted.

“Not cheating since it's a part of me,” Thor countered, turning to Nebula and Valkyrie.

They shared a look before nodding. “Not cheating,” Nebula agreed.

“If he’s got it, he’s got it,” Valkyrie added with a shrug.

Rocket made a joke that Quill didn’t quite catch as he felt warmth begin to spread through his chest when he heard them all laughing again. He thought back to what he’d told Gamora on the cliffside, realizing that he was wrong - it wasn’t just him. He wasn’t alone - not when he was with them. He turned to her, seeing the way she covered her mouth to stifle her laughter. With her. With his new family.

“Maybe we could stay here for a while,” he blurted out.

Gamora stopped, turning to look at him. “What do you mean?”

He shrugged, feeling himself blush. He wasn’t ready to admit what he’d realized out loud just yet. “As a vacation of sorts. Thor really set us up in a nice place.”

“That’s true,” Gamora mused. She gave his hand a squeeze. “Wanna see how I do against Valkyrie?”

“Oh, you’ll definitely win,” he grinned, squeezing her hand back.

“You’re certainly confident in me,” she told him, waving over at Valkyrie.

“‘Course I am,” he said, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “You’re Gamora, not even death could stop you - you’re gonna kick ass.”

* * *

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Pepper asked him, and not for the first time.

“I am 100-thousand-percent sure,” Tony told her, turning to her and pressing a kiss to her lips. He missed, getting just the side of her mouth before he went back to tinkering. “We have so much to celebrate, and I mean, lots of them, they -”

“They weren’t here,” Pepper finished for him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He sighed, nodding once before putting his things down. He turned to her fully, pressing his forehead into her shoulder as she moved to run her fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes, revelling in the feeling. “Yeah,” he shakily agreed. “They weren’t around when we did it - and don’t get me wrong, I loved it so much,” he rushed out, sitting up straight. “But, you know, they’re all here now Pep, and Peter - and, and, man, we just, it’ll be -”

“Tony,” Pepper cut in, ducking down and silencing him with a kiss. “We can do it.”

“Really?” he asked, awed disbelief in his voice. “We can do it?”

She nodded, grinning into the next kiss that Tony gave her, not missing her lips this time. “It is our 5 year anniversary after all,” she said, after they pulled away.

“And it’ll be amazing - it’ll be the wedding mach II, we’ll renew our vows and now everyone can be there!” He kissed Pepper again. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Pepper told him, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “I really missed you and your ideas.”

“You’re going to get sick and tired of them before you know it,” he teased.

Pepper shook her head, her expression softening. “I don’t think I will.” The next kiss she gave Tony was gentle, slow. “Not now, not ever.”

He pulled her in for a tight hug. He had missed her so much - had missed this so much. And Tony was so glad that he was getting another chance to hold her and make her smile and laugh as he pressed another kiss to her lips, smiling into it as he felt her lips curl into a smile as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and yuuuup!!! upcoming vow renewal!!! a wedding for all to attend!!!! it's what i'm looking forward to the absolute most its going to be toothrotting fluff from here on out, but first a few loose ends that need to get sorted out and then pure softness
> 
> honestly, it's probably so obvious how fucking much I love the Supreme Family since I keep giving Peter moments with Strange, but man, if it wasn't Tony and Pepper, i'd be all in on Stephen and Tony with the added sticky boi to complete their little family, they just make me melt T.T
> 
> thank you so much for reading, and see you in the next chapter!! Stay safe and sound out there!!


	4. Plans for the Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plans for the future are made and mantles are passed on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short opening note, these are things I've literally had planned since the first chapters of the series, and my only regret is not getting around to writing them sooner. These characters deserved so much better than the way the Russos treated them
> 
> I really hope you guys like the next chapter!!!

“Now can you do it with your eyes closed?” Natasha asked, raising a brow.

“I can try,” Sam shrugged, covering his eyes with one hand while firing his pistol with the other - hitting the mark in the bullseye.

Clint rolled his eyes, leaning against the wall of the shooting range. “I can do that, too,” he grumbled.

“But you’re retired now - you’re only visiting,” Natasha reminded him, taking the pistol from Sam and not breaking eye contact with Clint as she fired two rounds, both hitting the same place as Sam’s.

“Showoff,” Sam got out, taking back his pistol and readying another shot.

They continued to practice their shooting, coming up with more elaborate and frankly dangerous positions to make things more interesting, with Clint even breaking out his bow and arrows to give them a run for their money.

Which is why it took the trio longer than it probably should have to notice that they’d gathered an audience of two.

Three gunshots rang out in quick succession, followed by three distinct targets all getting another hole in the center.

“If this had been actual combat, the three of you would’ve been dead,” Bucky told them when they turned around to see who it was as he holstered his gun again. Steve stood not far off, watching the group.

“Oookay, but you only snuck up on us because you move like a damn shadow,” Sam answered, shaking his head.

“Which is why it's great that you’re on our side,” Clint added.

“I think I could take him,” Natasha shrugged. She eyed his metal arm. “Just gotta disable that, and we’ll see how good you’ll be.”

“You’re on Romanoff,” Bucky grinned. He motioned to a side door, where the hand-to-hand combat ring was.

“This is going to get interesting,” Clint said, elbowing Natasha playfully as they began to follow Bucky over.

Steve sidled up to Sam, stopping him with a quiet, “Can we talk?”

Sam gave him a curious look, taking in the casual clothes he wore yet how he still had the shield strapped to his back, but he stopped in his tracks nonetheless. “Yeah, Cap, everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine, Sam,” Steve reassured him. He seemed a little nervous - not on edge, but like he couldn’t find the right words. “Walk with me?” he asked.

“Sure.” Sam let Steve lead the way, going down the corridors of the renovated Avengers Headquarters before they went outside, looking out onto the open field that hovercrafts used to land before going into the hangar and catching a glimpse of the woods that surrounded the compound.

They walked in comfortable silence, coming to stop right at the edge of the woods.

“You know, after I put the stones back, I thought, ‘maybe I’ll try some of that life Tony was telling me to get.’” Steve looked down at his hands, shrugging. “I think I might have missed the mark by doing that in the 1940s.”

Sam laughed, giving him a pat on the shoulder. “You think?”

“But now, I mean, I’ve got my head on straight,” he looked back, staring at the compound, at where Bucky was. “This is where I’m supposed to be.”

He gave Steve another pat, his smile fond. “I’m happy for you. Truly - even if you guys do need to keep it in the bedroom, because my God, I thought the tension between you two was killing me before but now the lovey dovey-ness of it all might do me in.”

Steve smiled, shaking his head. “Thanks, Sam.” His smile turned wistful. “But I’m still thinking about trying that life - like Tony has now.” He remembers the conversation he had with Tony not too long ago, approaching him in his lab after dinner a couple of weeks after Tony had been back and telling him his plan. Tony had been all for it, and had even told Steve that he was thinking about something similar as he worked on a new suit - something he claimed wasn’t for him. Steve looked at Sam. “And, you know, leaving the heroics to the younger kids.”

“You’re retiring,” Sam got out, immediately realizing what Steve was getting at.

“Yeah,” Steve nodded. “I’m retiring - I’ll still be here, helping with training and all of that to keep the Avengers in order, but Steve Rogers is done being Captain America.”

“Oh, wow,” Sam said, looking out into the woods. “Wow, Cap - I mean, Steve. I’m - yeah, I’m happy for you, you deserve an easier life.” He shrugged. “Only thing bumming me out is the fact I have to live in a world without Captain America.”

Steve reached back, pulling off the shield. “Well, that reminds me,” he held it out to Sam. “Try it on.”

Sam looked from Steve to the shield and back, slowly taking the shield and strapping it on.

“How’s it feel?” Steve asked.

“Like it's someone else’s,” Sam answered honestly, meeting Steve’s gaze.

“It isn’t,” Steve told him, his smile widening when he saw the tears in Sam’s eyes.

Taking a deep breath, Sam looked away, blinking back his tears. “Thank you,” he said quietly, looking back at Steve. “I’ll do my best.”

Steve clapped him on the shoulder. “That’s why it's yours.” He nudged Sam. “Do you wanna head back and tell them all or do you want to wait a minute so Bucky doesn’t get on your case?”

“Bucky probably bet you that I was going to cry, didn’t he?” Sam shot back, rubbing at his eyes.

“We both did, Tony bet you wouldn’t,” Steve shrugged.

“You’re such an asshole,” Sam laughed, giving Steve a halfhearted shrug before they started heading back to the compound, the shield feeling like a more familiar weight with each step he took.

* * *

Scott shut the front door, coming back from having gotten the mail. “Hey, Hope, does your dad still hate Tony?”

“I wouldn’t call it hate anymore after what he did, but Tony’s not his favorite person,” she answered, peeking her head out from the kitchen. “Now come back here before I drink your coffee.”

He grinned, ducking into the kitchen and pressing a quick kiss to the back of her head as he dropped the mail on the counter in front of her. “I’m just asking because, well,” he shrugged, picking up his mug and coming to stand by her as she picked up the shiny gold and red invitation. “It looks like we’ve all been invited to his wedding, and it’d be a shame to not dress up and have a good time at his lake house.”

Hope shook her head, glancing at the date. “We’ve got two months to convince dad - and with mom’s help, that shouldn’t be a problem.” She glanced over at him, giving him a not-so-subtle once over. “You sure you’ll be able to dress up?”

“Hey,” he huffed, crossing his arms over his t-shirt and trying to get her attention up from where her eyes rested on his sweats. “I’m going to look amazing in a suit.”

She shrugged. “We’ll see.” She leaned over and gave him a teasing kiss. “But I’m sure Cap will cut quite the figure.”

Scott groaned. “Dammit - now I’m going to have to try and keep from checking out Captain America at the wedding. His ass already looks so great in his suit, but him in an ACTUAL suit.” He shook his head. “You have to keep me distracted, Hope.”

“I’m sure I can figure something out,” she grinned, leaning over to kiss him as she sneakily snatched his coffee away. Scott would be forgetting about it anyway with what she had in mind.

* * *

Wanda followed after Okoye as she led her down the winding halls of the palace. Her quinjet had arrived less than an hour ago, coming to Wakanda as soon as she could after Shuri called her, claiming that she needed her presence “immediately”. Everyone had seemed to have already known that she was coming, as King T’Challa gave her a polite wave in passing before he went off to perform whatever duties were needed around the kingdom.

“Do you know why Princess Shuri needed me to be here?” Wanda asked Okoye, watching her carefully to try and read her reaction.

The general merely shrugged. “I think it would be better if she told you herself.”

That gave Wanda nothing to work with - so for the next couple of minutes until she was taken to Shuri’s lab, all she could do was come up with weirder and more outlandish ideas about what it might be that she wanted to show her. She’d seen what she could do with scrap metal on the journey back from Vormir, she couldn’t imagine what she could get up to with all the proper materials.

“Princess,” Okoye called out as soon as they stepped into the lab. “You have a guest.”

Shuri peeked out from behind a mess of wires and metal, the rudimentary shapes of weaponry starting to take shape on the worktable. “Wanda!” Shuri shouted, peeling off her gloves and pushing up her goggles before she ran forward, giving Wanda a hug. “Oh my goodness, it is so good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too,” Wanda smiled. She raised a brow. “But why exactly was it an emergency that I be here?”

“Well, I’m sure you have already gotten the invitation,” Shuri commented, turning around and marching deeper into her lab, leaving Wanda and Okoye to follow a few steps behind. “Mr. Tony Stark and Miss Pepper Potts, their vow renewal.” She gave Wanda a look over her shoulder, her smile mischievous. “And, you know what I thought as soon as I got it - I thought, ‘my good friend Wanda will need a date to the party.’”

Wanda shook her head, crossing her arms as she watched the princess. “So you brought me here to introduce me to some cute Wakandan boy? Someone that can be my ‘date’?”

Shrugging, Shuri said, “I mean, he sure is 100% Wakandan given that everything I used was locally sourced.” She stopped at the foot of the stairs that led to the higher level of her lab.

“What do you -” Wanda started, looking up when she heard a quiet footfall. She brought a hand to cover her mouth, silencing her gasp.

The seconds seemed to stretch on for hours before the footfalls got to the bottom of the stairs, stopping right in front of Wanda. “Hello again,” he whispered.

Wanda took him in, her eyes searching his face before she turned to Shuri.

“It’s him,” Shuri assured her. “He remembers up until he got brought into my lab, when I started working on removing the stone. It’s a good thing I thought of backing him up on our servers.” She crossed her arms, appraising her handiwork. “I like to call him 2020 Vision - and I know it's 2023, but I didn’t get to make 2020 jokes so I’m getting one in now.”

Only barely listening, Wanda turned back to him, to Vision, absolutely the same as she’d remembered him except that he didn’t have the yellow gem at the center of his forehead.

“Vision?” she asked gently, reaching out hesitantly.

He took her hand, pressing it to his cheek. “It’s me,” he nodded, giving her a smile. “I don’t remember what happened after I was brought here but - but now we have time to catch up. I hear there’s a wedding coming up?”

Wanda laughed, a strangled sound, thick with tears as she nodded, running her hand down his cheek.

“I think we should give these two some privacy,” Okoye stage-whispered to Shuri, and Shuri quickly nodded her agreement.

“You’re welcome,” she sang out, following after Okoye and leaving the two alone to close the distance between them, with Wanda and Vision falling together like puzzle pieces after being apart for so long.

* * *

Rhodey gave an impressed whistle, looking down at the armor. “You really planned it all out, huh?”

“I’m all about plans,” Tony shrugged, polishing the helmet even though it was already absolutely pristine.

“You’re all about winging it,” Rhodey corrected.

“That too,” Tony admitted. He flashed him a smile. “But what can I say - I trust the kid.”

“And against my better judgement, I trust you,” Rhodey sighed. He gave Tony a pat on the back, hearing the door to his lab slide open. “Just make sure you give him a couple of pointers before Fury puts him through the paces. He’ll absolutely eat him alive if he doesn’t think he’s up to stuff.”

“He’ll be fine,” Tony said, waving his concern away. “I was a disaster when Fury took me on, and I turned out fine.”

“You died,” Rhodey reminded him, already walking away, the metal braces on his legs softly whirring to keep him moving.

“But I got better!” Tony called out, seeing how Rhodey shook his head before giving Harley, who had just walked in, a small nod as he passed him by.

“Pepper said you wanted to see me?” Harley asked, coming closer to Tony’s workbench. “Sorry I didn’t come down for dinner, my professor just left an insanely long assignment that was due today.”

“Don’t worry about it, there’s still plenty of food and Morgan even saved you a few cinnamon rolls for dessert,” Tony told him. He motioned to the suit on the table, to the red and silver plates that made up the armor. “What do you think?”

Harley stepped closer, brow furrowing as he ran a hand over it. “Is this a new suit?”

“Mhm,” Tony hummed, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.

“What is this now, mach 53 of the Iron Man suit?”

“Nope,” Tony answered, popping the “p”. “It’s Mach I of the Iron  _ Lad _ suit.”

He whipped his head over to Tony, expression guarded. “Mach I?”

“Of the Iron Lad suit, yeah,” Tony repeated. When Harley stayed quiet, Tony let out a long breath, stepping around the table and putting it between him and Harley. “You know, after everything that happened - now, more than ever I kind of just want to relax. Take it easy here.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Of course, if duty calls, I’ll answer - but how did Cap put it the other day, we should be ‘leaving the heroics to the younger kids’.” He motioned to Harley. “You’re smart, you’re capable - you and Peter, man, you guys would make the new Avengers one helluva team.”

“You’re making me an Avenger?” Harley finally got out.

“I’m giving you the suit,” Tony corrected. “If you want it. And you join the Avengers if you want, too.” He wrapped his knuckle against the suit. “Only if you want, kid. I know it's a tall order, and it's a little out of left field, but going into retirement got me to thinking and -”

Harley reached across the table, pulling him in for an awkward hug that had the edge of the table digging into their hips. “I want to - oh my God,  _ dad _ \- I mean, Tony, you, this is -”

“You’re gonna do great,” Tony assured him, expression softening as he patted him on the back before Harley let him go. He tousled his hair across the table, not mentioning the tears he saw Harley hastily wipe away. “Now c’mon, try it on. I gotta make sure it fits right before we take it out for a test run.”

* * *

“So, when can we expect you back?” Valkyrie asked, sidling up beside Thor and looking over all of New Asgard.

“Sometime before Tony and Pepper’s wedding,” Thor told her. “The Guardians just want to make a quick run to check on the Nova Corps and see how they’re rebuilding now that everyone’s back.

“Thor, your people need a king,” Valkyrie reminded him.

“They need a leader,” he corrected. He gave her a sideways glance. “And I think they already found one.”

Valkyrie raised a brow, letting out a light laugh. “That’s funny.” She kept on laughing, only stopping when she saw the look on his face. “You’re being serious.”

“I’m serious,” Thor nodded. “Look I’ve been - I’ve been doing some reading -”

“That’s even more surprising to hear,” she got out.

“- and I think if we had a joint monarchy, our people would be better served,” Thor finished.

She wrinkled her nose. “Are you proposing to me?”

“Gods no,” Thor rushed out, also making a face. “It’ll be a joint leadership, you’ll be queen, I’ll be king, but Gods no, we won’t be married.”

“And I’ll still be prince,” Loki added, striding up to join them. Thor had talked to him about his idea before, and Loki had found himself begrudgingly supporting it. He shrugged, “And I’ll be taking over some of the responsibility whenever Thor’s gone.”

Thor crossed his arms, looking back over New Asgard. “I feel like this way I can be who I am and who I’m supposed to be.” He smiled, turned to look at the pair. “I can be Thor Odinson, King of Asgard, and also just Thor, Avenger and,” he glanced over at the  _ Milano _ , where the Guardians were already boarding. “Honorary Guardian.”

“But even then, you’re a leader,” Loki said, holding his hands behind his back as he gave Valkyrie a bow. “From the sound of it, you’ve helped keep things in order when things got rough for our people. That’s who you are.”

She raised a brow. “You know I’d make a lot of changes around here.”

“I’m counting on it,” Thor grinned.

“Starting with forcing you to clean your house,” she finished, crossing her arms and mirroring Thor’s stance.

The smile slid off his face as Loki began to laugh. “You heard her majesty.”

“Move it or lose it airbag!” Rocket called out, interrupting the trio as he motioned to the  _ Milano _ that was now ready to depart.

“Well, you both heard that,” Thor got out, giving a polite bow. “And thank you, brother, for taking on some of the responsibility when I’m gone - the house will certainly be spotless to meet her majesty’s standards.” And then he turned, running after Rocket and instinctively ducking beneath the dagger Loki threw his way as he cursed loudly over the sound of Valkyrie’s laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly: SHOUT OUT TO THE DUDES SITTING BY ME AFTER ENDGAME FOR MENTIONING HARLEY POTENTIALLY BEING IRON LAD BC I DON”T KNOW SHIT ABOUT THE COMICS BUT MY GOD I COULDN"T GET THAT IDEA OUT OF MY HEAD
> 
> i had to find clips of the scenes with steve and sam and thor and valkyrie, and repurpose their canon language to fit the fic scenes, because I actually liked their dialogue even though i didn't specifically like those scenes in particular since I felt they were such a disservice to the Steve and Thor
> 
> and man, I really wanted Wanda to be happy, i had to bring her robot mans back y'know??
> 
> anywho, I hope you guys liked it, and I'll see you soon for the last chapter of this fic and this series!!!


End file.
